Reversible aerosol spray tip



NOV. 8, Ct CLApp REVERSIBLE AEROSOL SPRAY TIP Filed Nov. 5, 1964 ZZ/10a lo [VVE/vrai?. CLIQQENCE Cz. APP

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United States Patent O 3,284,007 REVERSIBLE AEROSOL SPRAY TIP Clarence Clapp, Montebello, Calif., assigner to Aerosol Techniques Incorporated, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 408,519 7 Claims. (Cl. 239-392) This invention relates to improvements in the formation and use of spray tips of the general type carried by the tubular valve stem lof an aerosol container and operable to discharge an aerosol spray upon opening of the valve.

Ordinarily such tips are essentially fixed to the valve stem, or are useable in only one position of application thereto. As such, the tips receive the valve stem within a relatively large bore, and discharge the spray through a relatively or greatly rstricted passage or orifice, as normally required for the desired spray pattern. In the course of dispensing viscous, tacky or residue forming substances such as paints, varnishes or the like, or powdered solids, the tip spray passage or orifice tends to clog, notwithstanding the use of an agitator in the container, with consequent inconvenience in having to probe the tip for it-s clearance.

My general object is to provide spray tips in this general category that may be rendered self-clearing by their adaptation to reversible application to the valve stem.

Contemplated also are improved tips which by virtue of such capacity for reversibility, are capable of discharging different spray patterns in the reverse-d positions.

structurally, the invention contemplates -forming the spray tip with a pair of communicating bores of corre` sponding diameter sized to have uid tight fit with the exterior surface of the valve stem, the tip being removable from the stern and applicable thereto for accommodaton of the stem within either of the bores, thus to provide for spray reversal, i.e. the aersol flow, through the tip. In so forming and adapting the bores, provision is rnade for maintaining a divergent spray pattern from a relatively small orifice notwithstanding the enlargement given both bores in correspondence with the valve stem diameter.

As will appear, by differentially yforming the tip passage congurations between the bores, it is possible to predetermine different spray patterns for the bore effinents, thus for example, to enable the discharge of a relatively wide spray pattern from one, and a narrower or more concentrated pattern from the other.

All t-he various features and objects of the invention, as well as the details of certain illustrative embodiments, will be understood more fully from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing one form of reversible spray tip and associated stem in side elevation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged viewshowing the tip and stem in vertical cross section;

FIG. 3 is a view lsimilar to FIG. 2 showing the tip reversed;

FIG. 4 is a sectional showing similar to FIG. 2 of a variational form of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional showing of the FIG. 4 tip in reversed association with the stem.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional aerosol container 10 equipped with a usual valve, the tubular stem 11 of which may be depressed to open the valve for release of an aerosol mixture through the stem into a tip which ordinarily has a fixed or at least one-position utility with the stem, and is apertured to discharge the aerosol in a spray pattern.

3,284,007 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 ICC In accordance with the invention, I provide an unconventional tip |12 shown to have a plastic body 12a containing bores 13 and 14 of corresponding diameter so relate-d to the outside diameter of the stem 11, that with the tip applied to the stem in either the FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 positions, the tip and stemwill intert with sufficient tightness for retention of the tip against the aerosol discharge pressure, but with sucient releasability by hand that the tip may be removed and reapplied to the stem in either of the lreverse positions shown. The bores 13 and 14 preferably have flared mouths at 15 to facilitate properly centered application of the tip to the stem.

The bores 13 and 14 are in communication through a passage formed by the bore extension 16, which may be of reduced diameter to shoulder the stem engagement at 20, and a terminal bore or space 17 opening into an outwardly flaring passage 18. The diameter and flare angularity of the latter may be `such that a `spray discharged divergently as indicated in FIG. 2, will pass through the bore 14 without such impingement as would be conductive to solid or residual accumulations. As previously mentioned, aerosol compositions having one or more components of a viscous sticky or solid nature, may tend to progressively restrict and ultimately clog the discharge passage, especially at locations of maximum restriction. The invention affords quick and easy relief from such accumulations, by providing for reversal of the tip to the FIG. 3 position, in which the ow through the passages 18 and 17 is reversed with consequent clearing of accmulations by reason of the pressure and capacity of the aerosol as released from the stem, for high velocity flow.

The form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has the same advantages of simple rever-sibility to free the tip passages from clogging accumulations, and also the further advantage of affording different and closely predeterminable spray patterns. Thus as in FIG. 4, where the stem 11 is fitted into bore 21, the ow occurs through an inwardly flaring passage 22 a right angular passage 24 from which the aerosol is discharged in a flaring pattern a-s depicted by the arrows. Upon reversal of the tip as shown in FIG. 5, wherein the stem 11 is fitted within bore 25, the ow occurs reversely and with accumulation freeing effect, through passages 24, 23 and 22, to be discharged through bore 21 in an inwardly directed or concentrated pattern. Thus, aside from its self-cleaning capacity, the tip may be used reversely to obtain different spray patterns as may be desirable in different usages.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a tubular aerosol container valve stem operable to discharge an aerosol stream, and a reversible spray tip body applied to said stem, said tip body containing a pair of communicating bores respectively axially in the bottom of the tip and laterally in the side there-of and of corresponding diameter sized to have uid tight fit with the exterior surface of said stem, said tip body having closed finger pressure surfaces selectively positionable above each of said bores for downward pressure application and discharge of said stream laterally of the tip and said tip body being removable fro'm the stem and applicable thereto for accommodation of the ystem within either of said bores, t-hus to provide for spray reversal through the tip body.

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said bores are substantially cylindrical and frictionally fit the stem with sufficient tightness to hold against the spray pressure but to be removable by hand.

3. The combination of claim 1, in which the bore axes are at substantially a right angle.

4. The combination of claim 2, in which the mouths of `said bores are loutwardly flared for stem guidance into the bores.

5. The combination of claim 1, in which the tip body contains means for directing sprays from said bores.v in diierent patterns.

6. The combination of claim 5, in which said means cau-ses the spray from one of the bores to have a relatively Wide divergent pattern and the spray from the other bore to be relatively constricted.

7. The combination of calim 2, in which one of said bores is relatively long and extends axially within the tip body and the other bore extends laterally through the side of the tip body, there being an outwardly ared passage connecting sai-d axial bore with the lateral bore and having an outlet of smaller diameter than the lateral bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,045 11/ 1947 Dougherty 239-442 2,564,431 8/ 1951 Greenspoon et al. 239--390 2,797,965 7/1957 McKernan 239-436 2,996,258 8/1961 Commarato 239-394 3,169,673 2/ 1965 Focht 222--394 OTHER REFERENCES 1,155,016 11/1967 France.

M. HENsoN Woon, JR., Primm Exaniner.

R. S. STROBEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A TUBULAR AEROSOL CONTAINER VALVE STEM OPERABLE TO DISCHARGE AN AEROSOL STREAM, AND A REVERSIBLE SPRAY TIP BODY APPLIED TO SAID STEM, SAID TIP BODY CONTAINING A PAIR OF COMMUNCATING BORES RESPECTIVELY AXIALLY IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TIP AND LATERALLY IN THE SIDE THEREOF AND OF CORRESPONDING DIAMETER SIZED TO HAVE FLUID TIGHT FIT WITH THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID STEM, SAID TIP BODY HAVING CLOSED FINGER PRESSURE SURFACES SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE ABOVE EACH OF SAID BORES FOR DOWNWARD PRESSURE APPLICATION AND DISCHARGE OF SAID STREAM LATERALLY OF THE TIP AND SAID TIP BODY BEING REMOVABLE FROM THE STEM AND APPLICABLE THERETO FOR ACCOMMODATION OF STEM WITHIN EITHER OR SAID BORES, THUS TO PROVIDE FOR SPRAY REVERSAL THROUGH THE TIP BODY. 